BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 A.M.) – The cabinet of Benjamin Netanyahu called on the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to continue their strikes inside of Syria, despite Russia’s upcoming delivery of the S-300 air defense system.

“The cabinet instructs the IDF to continue to act against Iran’s military entrenchment efforts in Syria while continuing security coordination with Russia,” the security cabinet said in a statement. The ministers share the pain of the Russian people over the death of the Russian plane’s [Il -20 – TASS] crew as a result of the actions of the Syrian army, the document says.

Netanyahu would later confirm this report by commenting on the recent meeting between his cabinet members.

“This morning I convened the cabinet. The ministers were updated on the recent events. The ministers also express their condolences to the Russian families and to the Russian nation. We give our 100 percent back up to the IDF. We will continue to operate to prevent Iran from establishing military presence in Syria and we will continue co-ordinating our operations with Russia. I concluded with president Putin that teams from both armies will meet again soon,” Netanyahu said.

“We will do whatever it takes in order to ensure Israel’s security,” he added.